TIPS TO HELP THE SANDWICH GENERATION RELAX:

Here’s a fun gift idea for Mother’s Day , or one of the myriad of showers coming up in the next few months. Smilebox has cute recipe e-cards that let you combine a favorite recipe with 0-8 photos, depending on which card design you select. Think how delighted your senior mom would be to get one her mom’s old recipes accompanied by photos of her grandchildren. Truly a sweet multi-generational gift. Or what about one of your favorite recipes accompanied by group photos of you and your family and the bride and/or groom as part of a shower gift! Or maybe use baby pictures of the bride and groom? I bet any of these ideas would be a big hit!

Having trouble deciding what movie to see? Relevant Magazine can help with a variety of reviews, including movie reviews. Here’s one for “ State of Play .” It sounds interesting. I may have to give it a try.   For other reviews, go to the menu at the top, select FEATURES, then select the last item, REVIEWS.

Does your church have a great choir? Verizon has a contest to find the top church choirs. Wouldn’t it be fun if your church won? Deadline is June 15, 2009

GRANDPARENTS & GRANDKIDS

Two of my many sweet grandkids are twins. How about you? Do any of you have kids/grandkids who are twins? If so, there is a website and a blog carnival of special interest for us! TwinHappy has a lot to offer including having a Twin Blog Carnival in May. In fact, if you’d like to have an article posted to it, they have already opened the registration for it. It sounds like a lot of fun!

“Children really brighten up a household. They never turn the lights off.” Heart of Wisdom

CAREGIVERS TRAVEL TIPS

Caregivers always seem to be short on time. So when we reserve a car, we expect that car to be there when we get to the reservations booth. What happens if the car you rented ISN’T there? Whether you rented directly through the company or used a third party, there are some options. Check out what one of my favorite travel experts, Christopher Elliott , has to say.

If you will be flying to and from Cincinnati between now and May 12, 2009 (maybe to visit grandkids or elderly parents?), Delta is offering you 25,000 bonus miles! Sounds like a sweet deal! Thank you to @ soultravelers3 for that frugal tip for caregivers!

CAREGIVING FOR AGING PARENTS AND THOSE WHO ARE ILL

Alzheimer’s Disease/Dementia:

Have you ever heard of the Medicare Donut Hole? Alzheimer’s Reading Room has a couple of interesting articles on the subject. The $4350 Medicare Donut Hole explains what it is. How We Saved $624.72 on Prescription Drugs explains how to save money in spite of it. Dementia Caregiving tip –To minimize confusion, adjust lighting to lessen shadows as they can be scary and confusing. Thanks for that info to both @ seniorlivingexp and @ PaulaFarris :

Cancer:

Here are some excellent tips for caregiving for cancer patients .

Parkinson’s Disease:

Sweet and interesting story of a wife and husband  and dealing with his Parkinson’s Disease . My mom and I had a few similar situations happen.

Another interesting article, this one about a gentleman with early-onset Parkinson’s Disease .

Speaking of Parkinson’s Disease, here is the Parkinson’s Disease Foundation .

Here’s an excellent resource from the NINDS Parkinson’s Disease Information Page – (National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.)

Did you know that people with a family history of melanoma have twice the risk of getting Parkinson’s disease as those who didn’t have a parent and/or sibling with the cancer?

Funerals:

Here are some green and frugal options for funerals, thanks to @ CemeterySpot . Per the Bloomberg news : Cardboard Coffins…Prove Industry is Getting Greener. Also, if you opt for cremation and want to have a viewing before cremation, ask about renting a casket from the funeral home, which can save you quite a bit.

Other:

All of us who are involved in the Seniors and Boomers blog carnival want to invite you to participate. The next one is 4/21/09 and we would love for you to submit one or more blog articles relating to Senior Citizens and/or Baby Boomers.

Carebuzz has a new article, Grants Assist Low Income Seniors . There’s some very useful information in it.

Here’s another thing to monitor when we are overseeing our aging parents health care. Consumer Reports found that the high cost of prescription drugs leads to risky behaviors! Thank you to @ MrElderCare for that valuable tip.

Amy Gates has an excellent article on the dangerous overuse of antibiotics as well as several tips for healthy ways to deal with colds and flu.

ENCOURAGEMENT FOR CAREGIVERS OF AGING PARENTS AND GRANDKIDS

"Be kind and merciful. Let no one ever come to you without coming away better and happier." Mother Teresa

“He said, I will never leave you, nor forsake you. The Lord is my helper…"

Be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.

Those who know Your name will trust in You, for You, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek You.